Engine lubricating system



C. B. LEACH ENGINE LUBRICATING SYSTEM Original Filed June 17, 1954 4Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1960 c. B. LEACH 2,955,675

ENGINE LUBRICATING SYSTEM Original Filed June 17, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1960 c. a. LEACH' 2,955,675

ENGINE LUBRICATING SYSTEM Original Filed June 17, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOI'R ATTORNEY Oct. 11, 1960 c. a. LEACH ENGINE LUBRICATING SYS IEMOriginal Filed June 17, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY United StatesPatent ENGINE LUBRICAIING SYSTEM Clayton B. Leach, Pontiac, .Mich.,assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation ofDelaware Original application June 17, 1954, Ser. No. 437,503,

.now Patent No. 2,865,361, dated Dec. 23, 1958. Divided and thisapplication May 6, '1957, Ser. No. 657,169

,3 Claims. (Cl. 184-6) This application is ,a division of applicationS.N. 437,503, filed June 17, 1954, now Patent No. 2,865,361, for enginelubricating systems in the name of Clayton B. Leach.

This invention relates to engines and has particular relation tolubrication systems for internal combustion engines for automotive andother uses.

It is customary .to lubricate conventional internal combustion enginesfor automotive purposes by employing forced feed lubrication systemswhich supply oil to the principal moving parts of the engines. In thepresent instance, however, the engine is not of conventional design andhas many greatly improved features for which lubrication systems asheretofore employed are con sidered inadequate. p

The present invention provides an improved engine in which an improvedlubricating system is embodied.

In the engine embodying the invention the oil pump is mounted in aunique and more accessible manner and in a-position'in which-it ispossible to remove the bearing cap for the :rear main bearing of theengine without first removing :the oil pump. To accomplish this end ithas been found necessary to redesign the pump casing and to provide anoil pan for closing the lower part of the crankcase that is wider on oneside of the engine crankshaft than the other.

The engine is also provided with a unique means for driving the enginecamshaft and the fuel pump. This means comprises a separatelyconstructed casting and stamping which can 'be easily assembled on theend of the camshaft. Bifurcated jet means is provided forlubricating:the two means embodied in the drive means and oil isintermittently supplied to the .jet means by an arrangeinent of rotatingports locatedat opposite ends of a passage formed in an adjacent part ofthe camshaft.

The enginealso embodies novel valve actuating means each pivotally andindependently mounted on the heads of the engine. One part of the valveactuating means is lubricated by oil under pressure continuouslysupplied thereto. Another part .of the valve actuating means islubricated by oil under pressure intermittently supplied thereto.

'In the drawing:

Figure 1 illustrates a longitudinal sectional view through the lowerpart of an engine embracing the principles of the invention. The upperpart of the engine is indicated in outline.

Figure 2 .is a rear end elevational view of the engine disclosed byFigure 1 with parts thereof broken away in different planes andillustrated in cross section to better .illustrate the principalfeatures of the invention.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the engineillustrating the camshaft and fuel pump drive and the lubricating meanstherefor.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional viewillus- 'tra'ting a part ofthe valve operating mechanism for the engine'and the lubrication meanstherefor.

Figure 5 is a phantom view of the engine illustrating the lubricationsystem therefor in full line perspective v1ew.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2 the engine 10 comprises aframe or block 11 having rows of-cylinders 12 arranged therein at 90".The cylinders receive reciprocating pistons 13 which are connected byconnectingrods 14 to a crankshaft 16 rotatably mounted in the frame 11in bearings 17. The bearings 17 are formed in transverse walls 18 formedthroughout the length of the frame 11 and in spaced relation to oneanother. The bearings 17 include bearing caps 19 securedby'bolts 21 tothe lower edges of the transverse walls 18.

The engine has a camshaft 22 which is mounted --'in bearings 23 formedin the frame 11 directly above the crankshaft 16 and between the rows ofcylinders 12. 'The camshaft 22 is driven by a gear 24on the front end ofthe driveshaft 16. The gear 24drives a chain 26 which in turn drives adrive gear 27 secured on the front end of the camshaft'22. The gear'27'is acast gear secured on the reduced end of the camshaft 22 beyond thefront camshaft bearing 28. Also secured-on the reduced end of thecamshaft 22andbeyond the gear27 is an eccentric cam 29 for driving alever 31 employed in operating 'a fuel pump 32 secured on one side ofthe engine 10 to a side Wall of the timing gear cover 33. The timinggear cover 33 also supports a water pump 34 and a fan 36, the two beingdriven by the crankshaft 16 through a belt and pulley drive 37. Theeccentric 29 and the gear 27 are secured to one another and to thereduced end of the camshaft 22 by a nut and washer fastening meansindicated at 30.

The camshaft 22 drives the valve actuating mechanism 38 for operatingthe valves 39 which are arranged in rows in the heads 41 for closing theouter ends of the cylinders 12. The heads 41 are secured to the block ofthe 'engine'by bolts 42 which project throughopenings in the heads andinto threaded openings extending Within the upper wall of the engineblock. The valve actuating mechanism 38 comprises valve lifters 43 whichare slidably mounted in openings formed in the frame 11 adjacent thecamshaft 22. The lifters 43 ride'on cams -40 which are formed on thecamshaft 22 at intervals throughout the length thereof. The lifters 43actuate hollow push rods 45 which project through openings in the heads41 and within the valve actuating mechanism compartments beyond theheads 41. The compartments are closed by covers 35 secured by anysuitable means to theheads 41. The push rods 45 actuate rocker arms-44which are pivotally mounted on the heads by pivot means indicated at 46.Oneof the pivot :means 46 is employed for each of the rocker arms 44.The pivot meansmay be press fitted-or otherwise secured in sockets oropenings formed in bosses 47 projecting from the upper walls of theheads 41. The ends of the rocker arms opposite the .push .rods 45 engagevalve stems 48 for the valves 39. There are two of the valves 39 foreach cylinder 12 of the engine 10. Also there are two of the valveactuating mechanisms 38 for each cylinder of the engine, there being oneof the valve actuating mechanisms 38 for the inlet valve and one for'theexhaust valve for each cyinder 12 of the engine 10. The springs 51may be mounted in valve stem guides 49 which maybe constructed in anysuitable manner, either as separate elements as shown or as integralparts of the heads 41. The valves 39 may be resiliently retained inclosed position by valve springs 51 which are adapted to be compressedbetween spring retaining washers 52 and the outwardly flanged ends ofspring dampeners 53. The spring dampeners project inside the springs 51and are seated on the upper walls -of the block 41 around the valveguide 49 and valve stems 48.

Oil under suitable pressure may be supplied to-the lubrication system ofthe engine by a pump 54 having a pump casing 56 with an elongatedupwardly projecting support means 57 formed thereon. The support means57 is flanged atthe upper end thereof at 58 and is adapted to be securedrigidly to the lower edge of the rear wall 18 of the frame 11 by screwsindicated at 59. The lower end of the pump 54 is adapted to extenddownwardly into the enlarged and downwardly projecting rear end 61 of anengine oil pan indicated at 62. The pump 54 is adapted to be suppliedwith oil by a pump screen float means 63 having an outlet conduit 64adapted to be pivotally mounted within the pump inlet connection 66. Thepump 54 is adapted to be connected directly to the lower edge of therear wall 18 of the frame 11 at one side of the rear main bearing cap19. It will be apparent from this construction that the main bearingcaps 19 and the crankshaft 16 can be entirely removed from the enginewithout interfering with the oil pump 54. The oil pan 62 is secured tothe lower part of the frame 11 to close the crankcase of the engine andis secured to the frame 11 in such manner that the side walls of the oilpan are spaced unequally on opposite sides of the axis of rotation ofthe crankshaft 16. The side wall of the oil pan 62 which is disposed atthe greatest distance from the axis of rotation of the crankshaft 16 ison the side of the engine receiving the oil pump 54 to provide room forsecuring the oil pump to the frame at one side of the rear main bearingcap 19.

The pump 54 supplies oil under pressure to the various moving parts ofthe engine through an outlet passage 67 leading from the casing 56 andcommunicating with an oil passage 68 formed in the rear wall 18 of theframe 11. The passage 68 terminates in a side wall of the engine andthere may communicate with the interior of a cap 69 which may beremovably secured to the frame 11 by bolts indicated at 71. The cap 69provides a passage 72 leading upwardly along the side wall of the frameand communicating with the end of an oil passage 73 which is also formedin the rear wall 18 of the frame 11. The cap 69 may be removed if it isdesired to use an oil filter and the oil filter may be connected to theside wall of the frame with the support therefor secured to the frame byemploying the same openings adapted for receiving the bolts 71. The oilfilter may have inlet and outlet passages communicating with thepassages 68 and 73 respectively.

The opposite end of the passage 73 terminates at the rear end of one ofthe two oil galleries indicated at 74 and 76. The oil galleries 74 and76 are adapted to extend throughout substantially the entire length ofthe engine frame, in spaced relation to one another, on opposite sidesof the camshaft 22 and between the valve tappets 43 and the lower endsof the cylinders 12. The rear main bearing of the crankshaft 16 and therear bearing of the camshaft 22 are lubricated by an oil passage 77which is formed in the rear wall of the frame, in such a way as tointersect the passage 73. The lower end of the passage 77 communicateswith an oil groove 78 in the rear main bearing while the upper endthereof opens into the bearing surface of the rear camshaft bearing. Theremaining main bearings of the crankshaft 16 are lubricated by oilsupplied by passages 79 which are formed in the walls 18 obliquely anddownwardly from the gallery 74. The lower ends of the passages 79communicate with grooves 81 formed peripherally around the insidesurfaces of the bearing bushings. The bearings for the connecting rods14 are lubricated by obliquely disposed passages 83 which extend betweenthe connecting rod bearings and the main bearings 17. The passages 79also merge with vertically disposed passages 82 which also are formed inthe walls 18. The upper ends of the passages 82 terminate in the bearingsurfaces of the camshaft in all of the bearings 23 except the rearbearing for the camshaft. The ends of the passages 83 are continuouslysupplied with oil by the grooves 78 and '81 in the inner 4 surfaces ofthe bushings for the main bearings of the crankshaft 16.

The driving means 27 and 29 for the camshaft 22 and the fuel pump 32respectively is supplied with oil by the vertical passage 82 in thefront wall 18 of the frame 11. This passage is adapted intermittently tocommunicate with an inlet port at the end of a rotating passage 84 whichis formed in the front bearing of the camshaft 22 in such a way as tocommunicate with both the peripheral and end surfaces thereof. Disposedbeyond the end of the front bearing 28 of the camshaft 22 is a chamber86 which is formed in a plate 87 secured by bolts 88 to the front wallof the frame 11. The plate 87 projects into an annular groove formed inthe end of the hub of the gear 27 adjacent the end of the front bearing28 and provides a thrust bearing for the camshaft 22.

It will be apparent that the rotation of the camshaft 22 and the passage84 will cause the ports forming the opposite ends of the passage 84 tocommunicate with the passage 82 in the front wall 18 and the chamber 86simultaneously and once during each revolution of the camshaft 22. Aslot 89 is also formed in the front bushing and bearing support for thefront bearing of the camshaft 22 in such manner as to extend downwardlyalong the front of the front wall 18 and to terminate in a slot 91formed immediately opposite thereto and across the lower edge of theplate 87. The rear wall of the slot 89 is curved as indicated in Figure3 and in such manner that the lower end thereof opposite the slot 91 isdirected toward the lower part of the gear 27. The upper end of the slot89 communicates with the chamber 86 and is intermittently supplied withoil by the rotation of the passage 84 in the camshaft 22. The plate 86also is provided with a transverse opening 92 which communicates withthe upper part of the slot 89 and is directed toward the lower part ofthe eccentric 29 and the end of the lever 31. The gear 27 is formed toprovide a plurality of openings 93 between the hub and the rim thereofso that as the gear rotates oil will be supplied through the opening 92that is directly opposed to one of the openings 92 when oil isintermittently supplied to the chamber 86 by rotation of the passages84. It will be apparent that the lower extremity of the slot 89 and thepassage 92 form jet means for intermittently supplying oil forlubricating the timing gear 27 and timing chain 26 and the eccentric 29and lever 31. It will be apparent that the oil intermittently suppliedto the chamber 86 also will lubricate the thrust bearing formed by theplate 87 between the hub of the gear 27 and the end of the frontcamshaft bearing 28.

The front end of the oil gallery 76 also communicates with the lower endof the passage 79 in the front wall 18 of the frame 11 through a passage94 which extends obliquely upwardly from the junction between thepassages 82 and 79 at the front bearing of the camshaft 16. It will beapparent that oil will circulate forwardly in the gallery 74, downwardlythrough the passage 79 in the front Wall of the block, upwardly throughthe passage 94 and rearwardly through the gallery 76. r

The valve tappets 43 are lubricated by the oil galleries 74 and 76through passages 96 formed in the frame 11 and through annular grooves97 formed in the outer surfaces of the tappets. The grooves 97communicate with the oil chambers within the tappets through suitablera' dial openings formed in the tappet walls. The chambers within thetappets 43 also communicate with passages 98 formed in the push rods 45.The passages 98 terminate in openings 99 in the spherically formed upperends of the push rods 45 which are adapted to be seated in sphericallyformed sockets in the ends of the rocker arms 44.

It will be apparent that oil under pressure will be continuouslysupplied to the tappets 43 by the galleries 74 and 76 and the oil fromthe tappets 74 and 76 will be continuously supplied to the sockets inthe rocker arms 44 through the openings 99.

The second and the fourth bearings 28 of the camshaft 22 also areprovided with angular passages 101, the opposite ends of which formports terminating in the hearing surfaces of the camshaft. The twopassages 101 are constructed in the same angular relation so that whenone end of each passage is directed downwardly the opposite ends will bedirectly obliquely upwardly in the same direction. Formed in the insidewall of each bank of cylinders of the engine are passages 102 and 103,the lower ends of which terminate in the second and fourth bearings ofthe camshaft 22 and in such position as to register with the passages101 in the camshaft 22 as the camshaft 22 rotates. Since the camshaft 22rotates only one-half as fast as the crankshaft 16 it will be apparentthat the passages 102 and 103 will be supplied with oil by the passages101 only once during each two revolutions of the crankshaft 16. If oneof the passages 101 is communicating with the passage 102 it will beapparent that the other of the pass-ages 101 will not communicate withthe passage 103 until the camshaft 22 is rotated 120 in acounterclockwise direction. However, each passage 101 will communicatewith one of the passages 102 or 103 once during each revolution of thecamshaft 22. When the passages 101 communicate with either of thepassages 102 or 103 the ports at the lower ends of the passages 101 willcommunicate with the oppositely disposed passages 82 which supply oil tothe second and fourth bearings of the camshaft 22. The-upper ends of thepassages 102 and 103 communicate with cavities 104 formed around thelower ends of two of the bolts 42 which are employed in securing theheads 41 upon the block of the engine. The bolt holes for the two bolts42 are considerably enlarged to provide passages around the bolts andthe lower ends of which communicate with the cavities 104. The two bolts42 at the upper ends thereof adjacent the heads of the bolts areprovided with enlarged ends 106 which close the enlarged holes receivingthe bolts to prevent the escape of oil to the upper surface of theheads. Below the enlarged ends 106 of the bolts 42 the enlarged boltholes communicate through passages 107 with elongated passages 108formed in the upper walls 109 of the heads 41 and extendingsubstantially throughout the length thereof. The passages 108 aredirectly below the pivot means 46 for supporting the rocker arms 44 andcommunicating with passages 111 formed in studs 112 which form a part ofeach of the pivot means 46. The studs 112 are adapted to be secured inbosses 47 which project upwardly from the upper walls 109 of the heads41. The upper ends of the passages 111 communicate with cavities 114formed in hemispherical bearings 116 which are secured by nuts 117 onthe upper ends of the studs 112. The hemispherical bearings engagehemispherical bearing surfaces formed in the rocker arms 44 aroundopenings 118 through which the studs 112 project.

It will be apparent that the passages 108 are intermittently suppliedwith oil from the lubricating system of the engine once during eachrevolution of the camshaft 22 and that one of the passages 108 will beso supplied 120 ahead of the other passage 108. The oil which is sointermittently supplied to the passages 108 and the cavities 114 will besupplied to the bearing surfaces between the hemispherical bearings 116and the rocker arms by openings indicated at 119.

I claim: v

1. An internal combustion engine comprising an engine frame formed toprovide a transverse wall and a cylinder, said transverse wall having alower edge formed to provide a plane surface, bearing means associatedwith said transverse wall and having a bearing cap secured to said loweredge of said transverse wall and on one part of said surface, acrankshaft having a journal mounted in said bearing means, a piston insaid cylinder and connected to said crankshaft, an oil pump having apump casing formed to provide an inletand an outlet, said pump casingbeing secured at said outlet to said lower edge of said transverse walland at one side of said bearing cap and on another part of said surface,lubricating passage means formed in said frame and communicating withsaid outlet, said lubricating passage means terminating within andintersecting said another part of said surface of said transverse wallengaging and supporting said pump casing, means separately securing saidpump casing and said bearing cap to said transverse wall, said bearingcap and said pump casing each being independently removable from saidtransverse wall by operation of said means, and an oil pan secured tosaid frame and enclosing said bearing cap and said pump and having anoil sump formed therein in open communication with said pump casinginlet.

2. An internal combustion engine as defined by claim 1 and in which saidframe has other lower edges around said lower edge of said transversewall and to which said oil pan is removably secured, said other loweredges of said frame being in the plane of the axis of said crankshaftand of said plane surface.

3. An internal combustion engine as defined by claim 1 and in which saidoil pan is wider on one side of a vertical plane through the aix is ofrotation of said crankshaft than on the other, said wider side of saidoil pan being formed to accommodate said oil pump at one side of saidbearing cap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,253,940 Coatalen Jan. 15, 1918 1,909,965 Jacoby May 23, 1933 2,039,942Treiber May 5, 1936 2,177,724 Kishline Oct. 31, 1939 2,501,235Rutherford Mar. 21, 1950 2,728,413 Kremser Dec. 27, 1955

